EC Health MEC Sindiswa Gomba and Minister Zweli Mkhize
The Health Department has deployed a team of experts to the Eastern Cape to assist it in dealing with the rise in covid19 cases in the province.
Speaking in East London on Tuesday evening, Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said the province was identified as an area that needed special attention.
He said this followed a rapid rise in cases, particularly in the Department of Correctional Services in East London where dozens of officials, as well as inmates, were confirmed to be positive for covid19.
Minister Mkhize said Premier Lubabalo Mabuyane raised his concerns about this with the Presidential coordinating committee and made a request for “added attention” to be given to the Eastern Cape.
“We immediately took a decision to urgently deploy more medical experts including senior epidemiologists, analysts and field consultants to reinforce the provincial team, led by Dr Kerrigan McCarthy from the NICD,” he said.
Mkhize said that the World Health Organisation has also assisted by deploying more clinicians and experts.
He said senior officials from the National Department of Health have also been dispatched to do a proper audit of the available personal protective equipment and other requirements.
“This is to ensure the safety and adequate protection of our health workers who are at the forefront. We reiterate that no health worker should be exposed to the risk of infection,” Minister Mkhize said.
He also said that one of the biggest risks identified was the cultural practices at funerals which have been identified in the province as a source of infections.
“Funerals are very sensitive events because people are emotional and tend to be close and therefore the issue of distancing becomes difficult,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Minister announced that the number of infections countrywide rose to 3 465, with 345 cases in the Eastern Cape.
Mkhize said the total number of tests conducted to date is 126 937, of which 5427 were done in the last 24 hours.
